The Unusual Solution to Bird Strikes at Airports

How Applying Oil to Eggs Helped Control Bird Populations

In January 2009, a flight took off from New York but shortly after, a flock of birds collided with it, causing an engine failure. The pilot skillfully landed the plane in the Hudson River, and luckily, there were no casualties.

The flag that collided with the plane was the “Canadian geese.” After the incident, the idea of controlling the population of these birds around the airport was considered.

The method used to control their population was to apply oil to the eggs. The problem is that the cells of the embryo in the egg also need oxygen to survive, and they produce carbon dioxide, which needs to be released outside. To facilitate the exchange of these gases, there are many small holes in the eggshell, which are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye.

When oil is applied to the eggs, these holes are closed, which means that oxygen cannot enter the egg from the outside air, and the embryo cannot develop, and a new chick cannot be born.

But the question arises, why not break the eggs instead of applying oil to them? Breaking the eggs may seem a bit defective, but the more critical reason is that by breaking the eggs, the geese may reunite and lay new eggs for their descendants to continue. Applying oil to the eggs prevents this from happening.

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